Valentine, I like you.

Foundations II Valentine

Computer Graphics Valentine

Exquisite Corpse

We are learning about Surrealism! This is an exquisite corpse, scanned, Live Painted in Illustrator, and Edited in Photoshop. I drew the face. I love my job.

Secrets

Got Spot

Photoshop demo for an advertising assignment.

Skater Love

Example valentine for my 8th graders. I'll update with a decent scan. Watercolor pencil, colored pencil, and tissue paper.

Valentine, you hit the spot!

The school is having a Valentine's day card contest. So, I'm way ahead of schedule this year. The computer graphics students are going to need time to make the coolest valentines you've ever seen. This is my example for the project. The winning valentines will be printed on nice paper and sold to students seeking a way to share some love.

Christmas Mayhem

Santa's in a hurry! So, watch out! Christmas Card 2012.

A Tree Hugger Christmas

GhostBust

Getting there...

Graphic Novels

We're working on graphic novels in my 8th grade Foundations II course. This is my class example. I'm way into this, and what's better? My students are blowing me away with their work. Photos of both mine and their finished work to follow.




Character Development Drawings (5 Drawings: Close Up, Full Body, Action (front), Action (back), Action (side))--as you can see I don't have time to finish my examples.

Rough Draft Carefully compose each frame (we refer to cinematic framing: establishing shot, long shot, mid-range, close up, extreme close up--I teach this in the photography unit) Cut your frames apart and work out the sequence.

Transfer to a nice piece of paper using light table, graphite powder, or transfer paper; Ink with sharpie (for details) and India Ink, and add color with watercolor washes (or prismacolor or watercolor pencil)--I also photographed this and tweeked it on Photoshop. We may or may not do the last step in class.

For the student who isn't so visually inclined we read Robot Dreams by Sarah Varon; Write narrative for one chapter of the story; Interview the characters in Robot Dreams (Dog or Robot); Create 10 interview questions for characters of our own invention and interview them; Choose a story style (historical, fiction, myth, fairy-tale, biography, autobiography, non-fiction, educational, etc.); Map out our stories (Setting, Problem, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution); Cut apart one chapter of Sarah's story and put it back together like a big ol' puzzle; Watch a video documentary on the life of a cartoonist; and, Read from the graphic novel edition of Scholastic Art Magazine (2011?). It's been pretty labor intensive, but I think everything we do is worth it.

I also do a reading of Bob the Dog by Rodrigo Folgueira and Poly Bernatene when we talk about character development and refer to chapters from Illustrating Children's Books: Creating Pictures for Publication by Martin Salisbury (Chapter 4: Character Development). It's a good book. Likewise, I received a grant to purchase a class set of Robot Dreams last year (Thank you Chevron!). We read the first chapter together with the document camera and I assigned readings on which they were tested to complete the book. The questions were designed to guide student understanding of modes of visual communication, identify elements of the graphic novel, understand the plot, and determine an overall message/moral. 

 

I don't have a sequence developed. I pull things out as I see students need them. 

Intergalactic Shockwaves

Layer Mask Demo

Adjustment Layers

A demo meant to teach the use of adjustment layers: levels, curves, color balance. I've got Ron Weasley on the mind. I'm a sucker for a freckled man.

Selection and Paint Tool Demo

I'm teaching Computer Graphics this year, as was suggested the year I was hired. It's been pretty fun so far. Right now we're learning various Photoshop skills. When we get real good, we're going to make some pretty snazzy stuff. For now, we're goofing around.
So here's my demo on using the selection tool, paint tool, and eraser.

While I whip these up during class demos, I really am thinking profound thoughts. This work is about how we think we know anything about love because we saw a movie once about a couple kids who thought they knew what love was too.

Portrait Painting

Portrait painting demo for my seventh graders--Skater Dude, Ryan Sheckler. Not Finished, but, then again, no demo ever is.

The King Who Could Fly

An illustration for a story I wrote in college. The illustration was born out of the need for an example of a watercolor illustration for my fifth grade classes.

Illuminated Letter (Who knows why it's red?)

As a first year full time teacher, I find it difficult to do anything more than examples of student art. Fourth grade is mastering illuminated letters. Here's my "thumbnail sketch". Requirements: Large Letter, Hidden Creatures, 3 Patterns, Fill the Page. My student's work is pretty amazing. Maybe someday I'll show you.

The Jordanator

The Jordanator is a self portrait superhero cartoon born with the purpose of teaching a lesson or two on cartooning. The Jordanator's special power? Huge, blinding hair, that does just about everything: Cooks, cleans, and plays parachute. She inspired young cartoonists to create Ordinary Boy, Hot Girl, and Pregnant Lady. My name isn't Jerry is baffled by the creativity of her young friends. Created with authentic little kid art supplies, this one of kind work of art is tempera paint and paper bag all the way.